Today I had my second session in the school, and this time worked with both the Kindergarten and the First Grade class. What I noticed initially was the vibrant decor of the interior of the school and the classrooms. Colorful and descriptive posters hung on the walls, students' assignments were displayed in an area and most everything (such as pencil sharpeners, computers, bookshelves, etc.) had labels on it, to help students make subject-word recognitions.
In the Kindergarten class populated with 26 students, I spent time with each of them, helping them write their names and draw pictures of their families ("F" was the letter they were working with this week). While their drawing skills were the quality you would expect of a 5- or 6-year-old, what struck me was the inability for many kids to recognize letters in their own name. For example, when I asked a young boy to write his name, he did so with ease, but had trouble identifying the six letters that made up his name. I realize now more than ever how much help these students need with basic letter/sound recognition.
In the First Grade class, the students were charged with completing a word and picture matching assignment quietly by themselves while the teacher was evaluating a few children individually. Immediately I noticed how their behavior changed when they did not have an authority figure reprimanding them for talking, playing, etc. I feel like one of the biggest hurdles that faces this class is behavioral issues. So much time was spent trying to get them to listen and follow instructions that little time was left for the assignment itself.
I feel like I've already learned a great deal about the structure of the classrooms. I entered the school with a critical and inquisitive thought process, and learned that students in this school are expected to listen to the teacher and be given permission to speak. The teachers have established rules within these classrooms to help keep structure, which is obviously necessary for students to thrive and learn.
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4 comments:
Hi Meghan,
Have you gotten the sense that the students are invested in the rules of the classroom? Do they see the rules as a reflection of what they need to learn?
Dr. August
That's an interesting thought. Actually, I do think they see it as a reflection of what they need to learn...to an extent. Some students pay careful attention to following the rules, while others have more difficulty with that matter. The students that DO abide by the rules are quick to call out and correct those that don't.
Last week in the first grade class, a "leader" was assigned to each group of four students during their individual projects. If anyone was being noisy, the leader was to write down their name on a piece of paper as a warning. When one leader wrote down the name of a girl who continuously talked, the girl became angry and withdrew from the activity. This observation made me realize that while the students don't always like to follow the rules, they DO understand the consequences and are unhappy when they have to deal with them.
It seems to me that a big goal of the teachers is to have students listen to their instructions and obey. I noticed last week that when the class was much quieter and obedient, it was more productive.
I'll keep this idea in mind when observing tomorrow...
Thanks for such a thoughtful response, Meghan, Keep me posted.
Dr. August
Dr. August,
Throughout my visits, I've been thinking about the question you posed: Are the students invested in the rules of the classroom?
To this, I would say yes. I've spent some tutoring sessions in the classroom with my group of students and some sessions in the library, a quieter place where they can concentrate better with less distractions. Last week, our session took place in the classroom, and I noticed that the students were more well-behaved and listened to my instructions more carefully. This week, we ventured into the library because the classroom was particularly chaotic on the day I was there. I observed that each student I was working with was more disobedient, disruptive to the activity and overall not cooperative. It struck me that this may be because their teacher was not present. Therefore, I told them that I did not want to have to give their teacher a bad report that they weren't listening very well. It worked. For the rest of the session, they were very cooperative and even reprimanded one another when they were not paying attention.
Though I was initially fearful that working outside of the classroom would make it more difficult to make behavioral observations, this proved to be untrue. Seeing the difference in demeanor of these students in AND out of the classroom made me realize they are quite invested in the rules of the classroom...when reminded that the rules of the classroom still apply.
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